15. Various of crew working to unclog flooded equipment which caused train delays

16. Close of water pouring out

17. Men loading sandbags onto truck

18. Close of sandbags in the truck

19. Man putting sandbags in front of store

20. Close of sandbags in front of store

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Evans, Store Manager:

"Our door is designed to where it lets water underneath it and we get these really heavy rains like this, you know, we get a nice little lake that develops inside the store. So we have to have sandbags and keep the water out."

22. US Coast Guard boat

23. Boats at harbour

24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jim Petrini, Boat Owner:

"Well, I have an old wooden boat so it needs a little more attention so I just come down to check, make sure the lines are cool and pump out some water that always comes in with the rain."

Storyline

Residents across California worried on Tuesday about possible flash floods and mudslides as a storm began showering areas devastated by wildfires.

Sandbagging and other preparations were being made in neighbourhoods under threat, including Santa Barbara County and the Los Angeles-area foothills.

The rains began before dawn across much of the state but were expected to intensify in the evening and into Wednesday.

People living around burn areas near the 250-square-mile (647,5 square kilometres) Station Fire in Angeles National Forest were warned to brace for possible flows of mud, ash and debris with rainfall of up to 4 inches (10,2 centimetres).

Los Angeles County's average rainfall for October is less than half an inch (1,3 centimetres).

The Pacific storm was expected to drop 3 to 6 inches (7,6 to 15,2 centimetres) of rain in Santa Barbara County, where an 8,700-acre (3520 hectares) fire burned in May, before it moves on to the San Gabriel Mountains, where the US Geological Survey recently warned of massive debris flows near the areas burned in September.

One of the Californian house owners in La Ca�ada Flintridge even wondered if "if we were so lucky having our house saved from the fire".

"'Cause this is another round of slow torture", Steve Brown concluded.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning through Wednesday for the Santa Barbara burn areas.

A flash flood watch for the Los Angeles-area foothills was to take effect at 6 pm on Tuesday and last through Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said thousands of sandbags were distributed to fire stations throughout Los Angeles County, including more than 10-thousand at a station near La Canada Flintridge.

Officials also cited gusty winds forecast throughout the week as a concern, but said mud flows will depend on how much rain the storm brings.

Incident management teams were ready to help with possible evacuations, plus swift water teams, he said.

Areas of concern in Los Angeles County include Tujunga, La Crescenta and La Canada Flintridge.

In Northern California, forecasters issued high wind warnings for the mountains, where gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph) are expected, and advisories for lower elevations, where gusts are expected to reach 50 mph (80,5 kph).

Some areas in Marin and Santa Cruz counties were deluged by more than 3 inches (7,6 centimetres) of rain since the storm swept in overnight.

Areas hit by wildfires last summer, including forests in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, are being monitored for flooding and debris slides.

Authorities are warning motorists to drive slowly over San Francisco Bay area bridges where high winds and heavy rains create dangerous conditions.

In San Francisco people are taking extra precaution to protect their homes, shops and boats.